Jersey City man's love of tugboats became a lifelong dream

To a casual observer, it was just
a regular tugboat. But to Darrel Vigilant, it was a treasured historical vessel
-- one that he traveled over 300 miles to rescue.

After stumbling upon Tugboat
Bertha while surfing the web, Vigilant, Industrial designer and Metal
Fabricator, set out to Newfoundland, Canada , 1999, in search for it.

"I saw the a picture of this
boat for sale and traveled that distance just to get it," he said.

The 79 foot long tug was built in
New Castle River, Tyne, England in 1925.

With its powerful engine and it's
spacious deck house, Vigilant worked consistently for the next ten years to
perfect the tug.

"For me, what turned into a
one year job, turned into a major rebuild." "I'm a perfectionist --
It is built to furniture quality," he said.

Despite his efforts, the tugboat
project soon took a backseat when the Manhattan native moved his family to
Jersey City.

"I was making a lot more
money before and I was putting it all in to the boat," he said. "Then the economy crapped out and I bought a new building in Jersey City
"-- I ran out of money to put into this and so basically all I'm trying to
do is save it [the boat],"he added.

In an effort to put the finishing
touches on the tugboat, Vigilant, his friend Carol Cunningham, and wife, Alissa (Public Relations Person)
launched a funding campaign, on September 11, 2013.

The deadline to raise sufficient
funding , set by Vigilant, was on November 1st.

"If I got the 150,000 I can
paint it, sandblast it and get in the water. Once it's there I can get it to
Jersey City -- to Liberty Landing Marina," he said."$150,000 gets the
boat saved, but it doesn't get the boat finished."

As of November 1, 2013, a total
of $10,565 was raised towards the Tugboat Bertha project.

When the boat is complete,
Vigliant, Captain of Bertha, said it can
"make loops around New York City, holding up to 50 passengers, very
easily." The boat will also be able to take passengers on historic tours
around Jersey City, and Manhattan."

The remaining tasks to Tugboat Bertha
include replacing steel to the base of the boat's keel, repair engines, shafts,
propellers and rudders, and add zink anodes for corrosion protection.

"I'm so close," he
said. "If I had the money, I would probably need three years." to
complete the project.

Although Darren and his team
weren't able to raise sufficient funds, by the set deadline - November 1 --
efforts are still being made to raise money to complete the boat.

The hull needs to be sandblasted and painted with a two part
epoxy paint to protect all her steel, old and new. This step will remove the
surface rust that can be seen now, it will bring the vessel down to clear,
rust-free steel, and then painted which will protect the boat for years and years
to come.